MLB Player News

Heineman has been sent back to minor league camp, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

Heineman saw just 11 at-bats this spring, only one of which resulted in a base knock. With several veteran options behind the plate in Houston, it's not too surprising to see the 25-year-old once again fail to break camp. He appears destined for another year at Triple-A, where he slashed .259/.344/.351 over 271 at-bats in 2016.

Garver was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.

Garver was nominally in the backup catcher competition this spring. With Garver in the minors, Chris Gimenez and John Ryan Murphy will compete to be Jason Castro's backup. Garver was just 3-for-13 this spring, but hit 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He could be called up as a backup at some point this summer.

Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio reports.

The 24-year-old hit to the tune of a .259/.348/.359 season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2016 and gets his first taste of the highest farm level. Gallagher will aim to work his way into a major league role if the need for help behind the plate arises this year.

Mejia was optioned to Double-A Akron on Wednesday.

The Indians' top prospect put on a show in major league camp, recently bashing a grand slam against Kansas City on Saturday, but it comes as little surprise that he'll head back to the minor leagues. Even with the return to the minors, Mejia's upside is undeniable given his performance between Low- and High-A last season. The 21-year-old backstopper accumulated 139 hits in 407 at-bats between the two levels and even assembled a whopping 50-game hit streak at one point, and although he'll likely spend most -- if not all -- of the 2017 campaign in Akron, Mejia is bound to appear in Cleveland relatively soon as long as he continues to rake in the minors.

According to manager Ned Yost, Perez (knee/elbow) also hyperextended his left elbow a bit in the collision that removed him from WBC play, which could keep him out for a week, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The Royals don't seem overly concerned with the backstopper's knee anymore, and it seems like this elbow issue will ultimately cost him more time than the knee injury. Either way, Perez is still projected to be back to full health relatively quickly and expects to be completely ready for Opening Day.

Perez's second MRI was returned negative, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Perez was said to be in good spirits Wednesday, having avoided a serious injury as a result of a collision in Saturday's WBC game. The initial MRI showed inflammation in the knee but no structural damage, and the follow-up test confirmed that diagnosis. While Perez is uncertain when exactly he may return to games, he is confident he will be good to go for the start of the regular season.

Perez (knee) is going for a second MRI on Tuesday, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

His MRI on Sunday showed no damage beyond inflammation, but either the Royals or the player were unsatisfied with the results, so he will go for a second test Tuesday. This suggests the knee issue is more than just a day-to-day ailment, but we won't know how much longer he will be sidelined until after the results are released.

Perez went 0-for-2 with two walks and scored a run in Sunday's World Baseball Classic victory over Team Italy.

After sitting behind Yadier Molina for Puerto Rico's first two games, Perez made an impact in his tournament debut Sunday. The victory clinched Pool D, sending Puerto Rico onto the next round at Petco Park in San Diego. At this point, even if Puerto Rico doesn't advance further, Perez will have little more than a week remaining on the spring schedule when he returns to camp with the Indians.

Deglan (shoulder) was reassigned to minor league camp Sunday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Even though Deglan was a perfect 3-for-3 for the Yankees this spring, his chances of making the big league roster were slim to none as he's yet to play in Triple-A. Once healthy, Deglan will likely report to Double-A Trenton and serve as organizational depth.

Mejia went 1-for-1 with a grand slam in Saturday's spring training contest against Kansas City.

There have been some questions if the catching prospect is big enough not only to catch, but to play in the big leagues. Mejia, listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds in the team's media guide, looked plenty big enough when he launched the eventual game-winner with the bags loaded in the seventh. The 21-year-old is now 5-for-9 with seven RBI and three runs over his last four Cactus League games. Last season in the minors, Mejia put together a 50-game hitting streak -- the longest such run in the minors in the last 62 years, and the fourth-best streak in minor-league history. Overall 2016, Mejia hit .342 with 11 home runs and 80 RBI at Low-A Lake County and High-A Lynchburg. With Gomes and Roberto Perez cemented ahead of him on the depth chart, Mejia will continue incubating at the lower levels this season unless an injury or prolonged slump from either opens up an opportunity.